- Utah communities commemorate 9/11 with events across the Wasatch Front from Sept. 8-13.
- The Maj. Brent Taylor Foundation is hosting its first Utah County event at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds.
- Activities include a pop-up museum, service projects, and a Healing Field in Orem.
SALT LAKE CITY — Every year across the country, Americans pay tribute to the many lives lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Recognized as the National Day of Service and Remembrance, communities across the Wasatch Front are preparing for commemorative events marking the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Utahns can pay tribute in multiple ways to pay their respects, from volunteering to memorializing the experience at various events and displays.
Jennie Taylor tragically lost her husband, Maj. Brent Taylor, in 2018 while he was serving in Afghanistan. In the wake of the tragedy, she started the Maj. Brent Taylor Foundation. This year will be the first year the foundation will host its event in Utah County.
"So we've been in Weber County, Davis County, Cache County, and then this year, the idea was, well, we've never been to Utah County," Taylor said.
This year, the 9/11 Project will be held at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds from Sept. 10-13. The exhibit will feature a multimedia pop-up museum, a resource center and other nonprofit and service organizations. In the pop-up museum, attendees can see photos, video and audio of 9/11, telling a story that is a visually immersive timeline.
"We have a police officer, a firefighter and a public worker from New York City that were there that day. They worked through the disaster of the day. They worked through the pile of the cleanup and the rubble for months. They all know people who died that day, and they know people who died of cancers they contracted that day that killed them later, and they come and they're able to each tell their story from such a firsthand point of view. So that's part of the exhibit, especially as kids come around on a field trip, they can hear from these New Yorkers," she said.
On Sept. 13, north Utah County residents across five cities will come together to give back to the community in a variety of meaningful ways. Richard and Cara Allred are the coordinators leading the cause this year.
This is the first year they are volunteering for the service, and for them it is about the unity that it brings within the communities "it helps unite us, to remind us that we're all, you know, living in experience life together, and by getting out and serving one another, that brings unity. It's easy for us to get caught up in our own worlds and our own problems, and this kind of lets us look outward instead of inward," Cara Allred said.
The event will begin at Lone Peak High School at 8:30 a.m., featuring a flag tribute to victims and survivors of 9/11.
At 9 a.m., city projects across Alpine, Pleasant Grove, Cedar Hills, Highland and American Fork kick off. According to Richard Allred, there will be close to 50 service projects between the five cities that communities will benefit from.
"We reached out to people in all these different cities in northeastern Utah County and put together a committee with people that were interested in helping put together projects," he said.
The projects range from cleaning the trails, maintaining parks, and a collaboration with the Utah State Development Center. The project has already donated 16,964 pounds of food in conjunction with Tabitha's Way and the Utah Food Bank, which is enough to feed 53 families for a month.
In Orem, the Orchard is hosting the 9/11 Healing Field and Remembrance Display.
"The Healing Field in The Orchard gives our community a chance to come together, reflect, and ensure that we never forget the events of 9/11. The remembrance display inside the shopping center shares stories of the fallen, helping us connect with their memories in a meaningful way. We encourage families, students, and friends of all ages to visit together, so that the story of 9/11 continues to be shared and never forgotten," said Cindy Nguyen, who serves as the marketing director for University Place.
The display is open from Sept. 8-13, with a special celebration on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. The first responders celebration event on Sept. 11 is an opportunity for the community and kids to meet, learn about, and thank the first responders who work so hard to keep people safe on a day-to-day basis.
